NEWS RELEASE
Chinese graduates celebrate success in Dundee
21 March 2007
Almost 160 Chinese students have now completed a unique Chinese-Scottish degree programme based in Dundee.
The latest contingent of 27 students will graduate this evening (21 March) at Abertay University, having completed two-year Masters degrees in Information Technology or Internet Computing.
The students received their certificates from Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Bernard King, in the presence of senior University officials and tutors, together with many friends.
Professor King said: “We are very proud to confer these masters degrees on our students from Nanchang University. They have all worked very hard at their studies and fully deserve their awards.
“More importantly, they have contributed to the vibrancy of life at Abertay, enriching the multi-cultural experience of all our students. We wish them all well for their careers in the rapidly developing information technology and internet industries in China.”
Under an agreement signed in 2002, Nanchang graduates who satisfy Abertay’s English language and study skills requirements can enrol on a course that is identical to the first part of an Abertay masters degree in either internet computing or information technology. This part of the course is studied at Nanchang and leads to a postgraduate certificate from that university.
The students can then travel to Dundee to progress onto Abertay’s postgraduate diploma after one semester and the full masters degree after two semesters. Including today’s graduates, 149 students have now completed masters degrees and nine have achieved diplomas since the first students arrived in Dundee in January 2003. A further 76 are still studying the course, including the latest group of 59 who arrived in January.
This linked degree programme was one of the first UK degree courses to be officially approved by the State Degree Committee of the Chinese government. Nanchang University has been recognised as one of the top 100 universities in China by the central government, which sees information and internet technologies as essential to China’s development.
(ends)
NOTES
1. Abertay has enjoyed close links with China for many years, and has been actively developing those links for the benefit of Tayside and Scotland. Beijing, Shanghai, Dalien, Huangzhou are among the cities with which Abertay has established relationships, while Tayside itself has strong links through NCR and other local companies having business interests in China. In addition, Angus is twinned with the Chinese city of Yantai.
2. In 1994, Abertay became the first university in Scotland to welcome self-funded students from mainland China, and is currently participating fully in the UK government’s initiatives to greatly increase business links between the UK and China. It is the leading Scottish university in the EU-China Programme, funded by the European Union to bring senior Chinese academics to the UK for research and teaching.
3. There are currently more than 130 students from China studying at Abertay, one of the largest non-UK groups out of more than 70 countries represented within the University.
More information on Abertay University: www.abertay.ac.uk
(Ends) Media enquiries: Kevin Coe T: 01382 308 452 M: 07850 904110